World Week for Peace in Palestine

As part of its mission to build a culture of nonviolence in Palestine, staff from the Wi’am center often participate in efforts to create an international witness to life here. This past week we attended a very important event- a solidarity service at the Cremisan Monastery for the World Week for Peace.

Last week at Cremisan monastery, Wi’am gathered along with religious leaders and activists in solidarity for the last day of the World Week for Peace in Palestine and Israel. The historic Cremisan monastery is in danger of losing its lands, which lie along the proposed path of Israel’s separation barrier. Wi’am sponsored a bus to transport 35 people living in Bethlehem to the site of Cremisan in Beit Jala, to join nearly 200 people from different ecumenical and cultural backgrounds gathered together to pray for peace in the land, with a service led by previous Jerusalem Patriarch Michel Sabbah. The Patriarch delivered the mass in Arabic followed by a prayer in English, after which various activists took center stage to read prayers in their native languages, including English, German, French, Arabic, and Italian.

Here is a link to a video of the service: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxhKu3LIPTE